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Hi All,
I'm trying to decide if CR is really a good fit for me. Without revealing too much, here is what I can say. I've been following a WFPB for nearly 5 years. By default a plant-based diet (vegan) diet is a form of CR, but not quite all the way to what many people here practice. I seem to oscillate right of the cusp of authentic CR. Many biomarkers are close, but may sway back and forth.
Here is some of my info:
-31, male, BMI = 20.7, (always between 20-21)
-5"11, 143-150 pounds, depending on time of year, fitness, etc.
-Low body temperature (usually 35.8ish)
-BP fluctuates between being super good, and just good (i.e.. 100/60 up to 120/80). This seems to tell me I'm right on the cusp of CR.
-I exercise a decent amount. Covering 15000-20000 footsteps daily, along with weight training 2x weekly, daily meditation and yoga.
-Extremely low or immeasurable markers of inflammation (PSA, CRP, homocysteine, low-ish WBC)
-Cortisol sometimes creeps up, sometimes not
-I recently had my IGF-1 tested and was really surprised it came back at 280! But I may have messed up the test results by binging on some dates the night before.
-The reason for WFPB/CR is that I was experiencing some major health crisis at the time, which had been ongoing for a long, long time.
Here is a sample of what I ate yesterday, for about 2500 calories: (anything less for calories, and my weight has been dropping)
a. Oats, chia, cocoa, spinach/chard/kale, banana, cherries
b. Lentils, spring mix, banana, 1/2 avocado
c. Barley, bell pepper, onion, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, blackberries, 1/2 avocado
My biggest conundrum is the issue of testosterone. I had it tested pre-WFPB and it came back at 9 (range 10-28 and my weight at that time was about 175 pounds). Since then it's been all over the place. It's been as low as 2 and as high as 15, and I've had it tested maybe 6 times.
My concern is that if I really get serious about CR, I will decimate my already 'iffy' levels of testosterone. Now, I'm married, have kids, and don't need to be chasing around anyone, but it seems like I might not be the best fit for CR. Or maybe I'm right in the range of CR/not CR'd given that my T levels and some other tests have varied so much.
Thoughts? Am I a good candidate for CR?